Springtime Snow
by Kenta Divina
Summary: Nanao's morning meditation is interrupted and sparks an interesting battle.


Author's Note: Please pardon my inexperience in the Bleach field. I was randomly inspired.

Springtime Snow

The weather had been quite warm for a spell. The trees had pushed out their fresh greenery still glossy in its youth. Then without warning a cold wind began to blow, upsetting the natural order or the seasons. Clouds piled on the horizon, dreary and gray. The sun faded under the onslaught of winter's parting shot.

Nanao had to give her captain some credit – spring was a season to look forward to. For one who planned and anticipated every requirement of the 8th Division, the season always seemed to sneak up on her. She blinked and found that the dreariness of winter had passed and had to suppress a smile at the sight of her captain studiously examining the new buds of his favorite cherry tree. However, with the sudden return of cold, many of the buds were tipped with brown. Absently she hoped that the frost would drive her wayward senior officer indoors where she could try to corner him with his paperwork. It was highly unlikely, but she could always hope.

In the predawn light, Nanao gathered her things for a routine day at the 8th Division office. Checking to see if her fan was tucked securely at her waist with one hand, she simultaneously checked her hair clip with the other. Tugging briskly at her collar, she smoothed any wrinkles that dare sneak upon her uniform and turned to pick up the heavy ledger resting on its place of honor next to her small home shrine. Sliding open her front door, she paused.

The air bit sharply at her nose, chilling the wire rims of her glasses. Frowning at the heavy gray clouds visible from beneath the sheltered walkway of her small apartment complex she stepped out into the brisk but dreary morning.

It took thirty minutes of evenly paced walking to reach 8th Division's main building. If she flash-stepped it took only one, however she took pleasure in the calm serenity of her journey along the small strip of trees and grass that divided squad territories. The early mornings and late evenings were her meditations. In them she could detach herself from the hassles, theorizations, and strategies required of her position. In those solitary moments Nanao could simply be Nanao.

This morning the grass crunched lightly underfoot. The sudden frost curled many of the leaves of the trees inward, edged in white. The tips of her fingers ached against the heavy weight of her ledger. A splash of color at her feet drew her attention making her pause in her routine of the day.

Violets burdened under the unexpected temperatures hung on brittle stems. They trembled under the slightest breeze and Nanao was struck by the thought that in an instant they could lose their heads. With hardly a thought, she summoned her demon fire to her hand. Crouching in the stiff grass, she tried to warm the struggling blossoms. As soon as the frost evaporated, the petals of the violets wilted and drooped. A small sigh escaped her and she let the flames fade away to observe her failed handiwork.

"They will come back."

The voice behind her made her turn so quickly that she almost slung her glasses off of her nose. Six feet away from her lounged the pink figure of her Captain. He watched her with a strange, sad understanding of her futile efforts. Straightening, Nanao glanced back down at the wilted bits of spring at her feet.

"I know." She steadily replied.

She knew that the flowers would bloom, that the right season would ultimately return. She knew that life moved forever forward, yet sometimes there were moments when things made no sense – like the snow that was now falling on a picture of spring.

Without the fire, her hand began to feel stiff. Shifting the heavy book from one hip to the other, she tucked her fingers into the crook of her other arm. She felt Shunsui's eyes on her, yet could not bring herself to return his gaze with her usual coldness. There was an overabundance of coldness today and technically she was not on the clock to keep him in line. Strangely enough, he seemed to be in unexpected, agreement with her wordless request for silence. For a moment they both simply stood under the frostbitten trees, Nanao staring at the squad's building on the horizon and Shunsui staring at the small figure of his vice-captain. The next step would be for her to continue to the office and start filling out the never-ending paperwork and for him to find new ways of avoiding said paperwork. Instead, they stood in the grey light of the morning, voiceless and content.

It did not last for long.

"Isn't my Nano-chan cold?"

The return of her Captain's traditional flirtations made something twist in her stomach. Nanao tilted her head just enough to glare at Shunsui from the corner of her eye – and blinked. He had moved to only a few feet away and she hadn't heard or felt any trace of movement. Before she could react, he had slipped his gaudy pink haori over her shoulders. She blamed the sudden rush of warmth for the delayed reaction of her attempt to shrug it off.

"Sir, it isn't far to headquarters."

The hurt look in dark brown eyes made her fight back a swallow of regret. It was the engineered, patented technique of a playboy. She stepped out of his reach and slid the haori from her back. Holding it out, Nanao waited. Shunsui tried to catch her fingers as he took the garment from her but she anticipated the move by half dropping it into his hand.

He sighed with a weary sort of exasperation. "How the weather suits my Nanao-chan's cruelty towards her Captain."

Again, she blamed the early morning and her frustration that her job had come seeking her during her private time for her unguarded reaction. She flinched. After two years of maintaining her stoic mask the unseasonable cold of this spring morning had fractured its steel. The comment should have melted away like the frost and not bitten her heart like it did.

"I – I am not cruel."

"I know." The answer was immediate.

In an instant Nanao saw his setup. He had intentionally caught her and exploited her on her way to work. How long he had known of this particular habit didn't concern her now, only the fact that he had decided to use it to his personal advantage stirred her anger. He had pushed too far into her personal space with this stunt.

She turned, calling her demon arts to hand. This time it would not be a simple slap on the wrist. This time she intended to drive her own point home. Shunsui's eyes widened for a moment at her sudden retaliation before darkening with a focus she had only seen in his face during battle.

"It could be considered treason to attack one's senior, Nanao-chan."

"We are conducting personal business, _sir_."

One side of his mouth curled upward. "Ah, I see. Then there should be no reason for you to call me 'sir' in this case."

She threw three bursts of scorching blue fire at him. They weren't enough to cause major damage but carried enough heat to make her point to _back off_.

He replied with a controlled burst of his fighting reiatsu that simply smothered the flames. She could see a shimmer as the energy continued outward from her Captain and wrapped around her entire body. Nanao frowned and tried to summon her flames once more. A warm caress across her shoulders tripped up her concentration.

"Sir?"

He gave her a lazy smile, eyes still disturbingly focused. The energy washed over her in an encompassing blanket of warmth. In the back of her mind she knew that any sort of manipulation of reiatsu beyond its need in battle required extreme discipline. What he was doing now was nothing short of a master's expertise and the realization that he could have cornered her in this way at any time during his other attempts of flirtation made her tremble in a strange mix of fear and to her horror - anticipation. Reflexively, Nanao retaliated with her own reiatsu in an effort to push his away. As her energy rose to battle Shunsui's, his merely slipped sideways and would not meet with hers head on. The battle of will took on the texture of mixing oil and water… with the side effects of Nanao feeling every slide of his spirit against her own. The scholar in her was fascinated at this new technique. The woman in her was beginning to purr. The reason in her was fighting with both scholar and woman.

Heart racing, Nanao jerked her reiatsu out of the fray. Opening eyes she hadn't realized were closed, she found herself face to face with her Captain.

"An interesting response, Nanao." His voice was a husky murmur. "I expected resistance - I had hoped for seduction, but I did not expect retaliation. Now you have me all warmed up."

She was about to bite back a reply, only to have herself smothered a second time. The heavy ledger hit the cold ground with a thud as Shunsui wrapped his strong arms around her waist and pulled her up to a more comfortable height to thoroughly re-enact the same slippery exchange of reiatsu in the form of battling mouths. This time woman swamped her reason and scholar. Surrounded and crushed by Shunsui, Nanao couldn't contain the small noises of pleasure from escaping her throat, half-swallowed by the infuriating, teasing lug of a man that she would never be able to refuse if the line were drawn.

It was Shunsui who broke away first, breath coming in rapid puffs of damp smoke that mingled with her own. He smiled but she couldn't help but notice that he held her in such a way that it would be difficult for her to summon any flames without singing herself. Despite the heavy blush she knew was on her face, Nanao raised an eyebrow.

"We are going to be late, sir."

He chuckled, "I'm the Captain. Besides, I want to be sure that you aren't going to toast me when I put you down."

"I am seriously considering it."

He only smiled again before sliding his sandpaper covered chin down her cheek to delicately nibble her neck at the base of one ear. The sensation had her arching like a cat against him. He made no more advances other than to gently hold her against him with his large hands.

They fell into another silence. The grey sky was taking on a whiter sheen and a feather of white drifted down to settle on the half-frozen grass.

"Look Nanao-chan, it's snowing!"

The look on his face was one of childish wonder and excitement. For one who loved spring, it was more a marvel that he welcomed the sight and wasn't discouraged by the sudden burst of flurries that fell like cherry petals. She knew then that she could not begrudge him his springtime snow.

The End

Author's Happiness:: I have been accepted by the Japanese English Teaching program and will be headed overseas as an English Teacher!!!


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